The present invention relates to Doppler laser radar without ambiguities (ladar), and more particularly, to a random-pulse-burst range-resolved Doppler laser radar.
Presently developed vehicular anti-collision and adaptive cruise control radars are based upon either microwave sources or diode laser sources with direct detection receivers. Microwave sources are bulky, expensive and difficult to steer.
Diode laser sources are typically too incoherent to provide high resolution velocity or range rate information. Current ladars for military and defense applications employ waveforms that are ambiguous and require supplemental measurements to determine absolute range or velocity. Direct detection laser radars are prone to confusion from other weather related backscatter sources such as atmosphere, fog, rain and road spray, and to interference from laser radars in oncoming vehicles.
Therefore, it is an objective of the present invention to provide for an improved range-resolved Doppler ladar that overcomes the problems relating to conventional radars employed in anti-collision and adaptive cruise control systems and typical ladars employed in defense applications by using a random pulse burst waveform.